PHOENIX — Arizona carried out its first execution in over two years Wednesday morning as Aaron Gunches died by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence.
Gunches, convicted of murdering Ted Price in 2002, was executed using pentobarbital, with his official time of death called at 10:33 a.m., according to prison officials.
“The process went according to plan without any incident,” said John Barcello, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections. Gunches declined to make a final statement before his death.
Victim’s Family: ‘Justice Served’
“Justice for Ted Price and his family was finally served,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes following the execution. Price’s sister, Karen Price, echoed that sentiment, saying the family had waited a long time for this moment.
Gunches was convicted in 2008 for the kidnapping and murder of Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband. After a lengthy legal process, Gunches became the first Arizona inmate executed since Murray Hooper in November 2022.
The Crime
In November 2002, Gunches’ girlfriend lured Price to her apartment, where an argument escalated. Later, Gunches had Price placed in a car under the guise of taking him to a bus station, but instead, they drove into the desert outside Mesa, where Gunches shot and killed him.
Gunches was arrested months later after shooting a state trooper, who survived thanks to a bulletproof vest. Ballistic evidence linked Gunches to Price’s murder.
His execution had been delayed in April 2023 when Governor Katie Hobbs ordered a review of Arizona’s death penalty procedures.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix held a vigil protesting the execution Tuesday night.
After Wednesday’s execution, 111 inmates remain on Arizona’s death row.
